Toothbrush holder



Sept. 15, 1931. LEVY 1,823,153

' V TOOTHBRUSH HOLDER Filed Au 11, 1928 DG DEE D6 D6 [DCL' Inventor Arthur 6. Lev y A tlorneyS Patented Sept. 15 1931 PATENT oFF oE ARTHUR S. LEVY, CF BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA TOOTHBRUSH HOLDER Application filed August 11, 1928. Serial No. 299,094.

My invention relates to toilet appliances, more particularly to means for holding tooth brushes and tooth paste, and has for its object the provision ofa device of the character designated which shall be sanitary and attractive as well as simple of design and easy of manufacture.

As is well known, it is'very important that tooth brushes be kept clean and to that end, when not in use, should be so disposed that the bristles do not come in contact with the walls of a room. It is furthermore very important, in order to minimize communi cation of disease, that a tooth brush used by one individual not come in contact with a brush used by others. While numerous appliances have heretofore been proposed for holding tooth brushes, so far as I am aware, none have embodied means whereby a tooth brush is positively held free from possibility of lateral motion, preventing its coming in contact with other brushes or with the wall of a room, and at the same time be readily detachable for use.

In accordance with my invention, I provide a bracket with means for readily attaching it to the wall of a room and embodying a vertically extending flange remote from the wall of the room. Carried by the flange are a plurality of resilient clip members adapted to grasp the sides and end of the handles of tooth brushes and hold them positively against swaying and coming in contact with the wall or with each other. The disposition of the vertically extending flange remote from the wall forms a convenient shelf for holding tooth paste tions, respectively, of a modified form of my improved appliance; and

Figs. 6 and 7 are front and end elevations, respectively, of a further modified form of my improved appliance. 1

Referring to the drawings, my'improved appliance comprises a shelf 10 provided with a rear flange portion 11 havingspaced holes therein for the insertion of screws 12 for securing the appliance to a wall 13. At the front of the appliance is an upstanding portion 14 having a series of oppositely facing resilient clips 16 adapted to grasp the sides of a tooth brush handle 17 in the manner shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

Centrally disposed above each pair of clips 16 is a downwardly extendingresilient clip 18 having a slight protuberance 19 provided on the inner side thereof to engage with a hole 21 in the end of the tooth brush handle.

It will be apparent from a consideration of Figs. 1 and 2 that a tooth brush held in the manner shown is not subject to lateral swinging and that the width of the shelf 10 is such that the bristles of the brush can not come in contact with the wall. I thus provide means whereby a 'number of tooth brushes may be held side by side without danger of contamination. In addition to insuring the tooth brushes againstcoming in contact with the wall, the shelf-10 of'the appliance provides a convenient holder for a tube of tooth paste 22, out of sight in-the room. 7

The device'shown in Figs. 1 to '3 may conveniently be stamped from sheet metal and formed into an attractive appliance. In order to add to the attractiveness of the device, the upstanding portion 1 1 may be bent downwardly to form a depending flange 23, hiding the clips, and provided with notches 24 opposite theclips 16 so that the V positioning of the tooth brushes in the holder may be readily determined by the userl While most tooth brushes on the market are-providedwith holes such as 21 in'the upper ends of the handles, it might happen that some would-not be so formed. I accordingly provide, in one "of. the locations for holding the brushes, upper laterally exitending clips 26 instead ofthe upper downwardly extending clip 19. The clips 26 are resilient so as to tightly grasp the end of the tooth brush handle.

Referring now to Figs. 4 and 5, of the drawings, I show a modified form of. my invention in whichthe body portion thereoi is made of glass cast to the required shape. In this modification, my improved appliance embodies a rear portion 31 provided with holes 32 for attaching it to a wall, a shelf portion 33 for holding the tube of tooth paste 22 and an upwardly extending portion 34. The upwardly extending portion extends forwardly and downwardly to form a hidden groove 36 in which is positioned a metal brush retaining member 37 provided with clips 38 and 39 similar to the clips 16 and 18 already described. The brush retaining member 37 is held in place with respect tothe upright member 34 by means of screws 40.

In Figs. 6 and 7 I show a further modified form of my invention formed from bent wire; In accordance with this modification a wire is bent to form a plurality of spaced opposed clips 46 similar to the clips 16 shown in Figs. land 3 and having associated with each pair of clips a downwardly turned upper clip 47 similar to the clip 18 already described. The wire is also bent to form spaced eyes 48 positioned rea-rwardly from the clips 46 and 47 by means of bend ing the wire at right angles from the plane of said clips as shown at 49, in Fig. 7 thusj insuring that the bristles of a tooth brush, held inplaceby the clips, shall-not touch the wall to which the device is attached. The rearwardly extending portions 49 of the wire also form a convenient rack for holding tooth paste as described for the previous modifications shown in the drawings.

From the foregoing it will be apparent thatI have devised an improved toilet appliance capable of holding tooth brushes without their becoming contaminated or drop-v ping out of plate and also forming a convenient receptacle for tooth paste.

lVhile I have shown my invention in, several forms, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that it is not so limited but is sue-- ceptible of various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit thereof, and I desire therefore that only such limitations shall be placed thereupon as areimposed by the prior art, or as are; specifically set forth in the appended claims. 7 1

What I claim is 1. In a toilet appliance, a body member having means for attaching it to a wall, a horizontally extending portion joined to the body member, a vertical member joined tothe horizontal portion, lower clip means pr0- vided on the vertical member and comprising laterally extending opposed resilient clips, and upper clip means provided on the vertical member and comprising a downwardly extending resilient clip, and a protuberance on the upper clip adapted to engage in a hole in a tooth. brush handle.

2.}; tooth brush holder comprising a body, laterally extending opposed resilient clips provided on the body, a downwardly extending resilient clip provided on the body above the laterally extending clips, and a protuberance provided on the downwardly extending clip adapted to engage in a hole in a toothbrush; 1

3. 111 a toothbrush holder, a body member having. a downwardly extending hidden groove, a downwardly extendingv resilient clip provided within said groove, a protuberance formed. on the downwardly extending clip adapted to engage in a hole in a tooth brush, and laterally extending o'pposed resilient clips provided within said groove and beneath said downwardly eX- tending. clip. p

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

ARTHUR S. LEVY. 

